Oklahoma City — A decision by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board on Wednesday has denied clemency to a man on death row, paving the way for his execution slated for next month. The move follows a transfer arranged by the Trump administration to expedite his transfer from a federal penitentiary.
The board, consisting of five members, voted 3-2 against granting clemency to John Fitzgerald Hanson, 61, also recognized as George John Hanson in certain court documents. This decision leaves Governor Kevin Stitt without the ability to modify Hanson’s death sentence to life imprisonment without parole. Hanson’s execution by lethal injection is scheduled for June 12.
Hanson was handed a death sentence in Tulsa County, Oklahoma after being convicted of the heinous acts of carjacking, kidnapping, and murdering Mary Bowles in 1999. Prosecutors assert that Hanson and his accomplice, Victor Miller, abducted Bowles from a shopping mall in Tulsa. The pair is accused of taking her to a gravel quarry near Owasso, where Miller allegedly shot Jerald Thurman, the property owner. Subsequently, they relocated Bowles a short distance and Hanson was accused of being the shooter who ended her life.
Miller received a life sentence without parole for his involvement in these crimes.
Addressing the board through a video link from Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Hanson expressed regret for his actions and extended apologies to the victims’ families.
“I’m not an evil person,” Hanson stated. “I was caught in a situation I couldn’t control. I can’t change the past, but I would if I could.”
His legal representation acknowledged his participation in the carjacking and kidnapping but disputed any conclusive proof linking Hanson as Bowles’ killer. They argued Hanson, who they described as suffering from autism spectrum disorder, was manipulated by Miller, who was portrayed as domineering.
In support of Hanson, testimony from staff at the U.S. Penitentiary in Pollock, Louisiana highlighted his positive conduct as an inmate with a solid work ethic and a disposition for assisting both staff and fellow prisoners.
Emma Rolls, the first assistant for the Federal Public Defender’s office, characterized Hanson as “a remorseful man who wants to do his time and stay away from mischief.”
Despite these portrayals, prosecutors and the victims’ families expressed skepticism about the sincerity of his remorse. Sara Mooney, Mary Bowles’ niece, pointed out Hanson’s lack of outreach or explanation over the past 26 years as emblematic of his lack of genuine regret.
“If anything, he regrets being caught,” Assistant Attorney General Michel Trapasso remarked.
Hanson’s transfer to Oklahoma was facilitated in March by federal officials, following President Donald Trump’s executive order advocating for more active support of the death penalty.
Previous efforts by Oklahoma Attorney Generals Gentner Drummond and John O’Connor to secure Hanson’s transfer during President Joe Biden’s administration were denied by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, citing the transfer as not in the public interest.
“The Biden administration protected this monster from justice for too long,” Drummond asserted before the board.